Home Visits

Requests for home visits should be made before 11.00 a.m. where possible. Please ring 01708 629733.The receptionist will request some details of your medical problem so that the appropriate clinician can assess your need for a visit and the urgency. The doctor will telephone you back to discuss your problem in more detail. A decision to visit remains at the doctor’s discretion and is based on medical necessity.

We are unable to offer a visiting service except for the truly housebound. We expect patients to try their utmost to attend the surgery. Patients should explore other options e.g. Taxis, Dial a Ride, London Taxi Card, neighbours etc before requesting a visit. The NHS has stated specifically that transport problems are not an acceptable reason for requesting a visit.

The following guidelines may be of assistance

GP visit recommended:

• Terminally ill
• Bedbound

GP to be immediately informed, a visit considered, and/or an emergency ambulance called:

• Heart attack
• Severe shortage of breath
• Severe bleeding

GP visit not usual:

• Common symptoms of childhood – fevers, cold, cough, earache, headache, diarrhoea and most cases of abdominal pain
• Adults with common problems – influenza, back pain, abdominal pain etc
• Common problems in the elderly – poor mobility, joint pain, general malaise etc

Many of the above can be transported by car to the surgery where a more thorough assessment can be made. This is especially true for children, for who a more thorough assessment can be made at the surgery.